Snow falls in NC mountains, giving region its first real taste of winter

It may have felt like spring most of the week in Charlotte, but the mountainous parts of North Carolina are finally seeing snow in the big way.

A Winter Weather Advisory was in place until 6 p.m. for the mountains in the northwest part of the state, with 1-3 inches of snow in the lower elevations, and as much as 4 inches higher up.

Scattered snow showers, mainly before 10 a.m., continue in the mountains, which will only reach a high of about 31 on Friday.

It’s windy up there, too, with northwest gusts as high as high as 34 mph. In Watagua County, wind guts were predicted to get up as high as 45 mph.

Parts of Highway 321 were closed early Friday in Caldwell County due to snow and ice.

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Snow falls in NC mountains, giving region its first real taste of winter."